Mar 10, 2010

The Sorry Story of Jack Neo

Filmmaker Jack Neo is all over the news now. You probably noticed. It's like a local version of Tiger Woods' sex scandal, on a much reduced scale of course.

Like a cliched plot in a bad movie, these sorts of stories seem to follow a predictable pattern. Tiger went on to to make a profuse public apology (which failed to stop his commercial sponsors from continuing to dump him). No doubt, Jack will do the same in the near future (in fact, he has already promised the media that he will soon "tell it all").

Well, here's the first thing about apologies. Is the person sorry about what he did, or is he just sorry that he got caught? Mmmm, go meditate on the difference.

Here's the second thing. Why is that Other Woman not apologising? How come when a married man has an affair, the man needs to apologise, but the Other Woman gets to act like a victim, all moral-uppity, as if she didn't know he already had a wife?

And the third thing is - why even apologise to the public? If Jack was an accountant or a human resource officer or a florist, and he had all these affairs with miscellaneous women, the public wouldn't give a hoot. The only reason why the public is now interested is that Jack is a celebrity, he's a star, he's Singapore's best-known filmmaker. We all feel like we know him, just because we've watched him on TV since his Liang Po Po days, and we've enjoyed his movies such as Money No Enough and I Not Stupid.

But does that really mean that Jack owes the public an apology? Are filmmakers supposed to be the paragon of virtues? Who appointed them to be the public flag-bearers of moral standards? Are celebrities supposed to be role models for all the husbands and fathers? Errrr, not as far as I'm aware.

As a member of the public, I do not feel that Jack owes me an apology. I'm not saying that I think that Jack is wrong or right. I am saying that it's basically none of my business.

And I do not think that it's the public's business anyway. If any apologies are to be made, they should be made behind closed doors, and they should be privately exchanged between Jack, his family members and his Other Women.

The rest of you kaypohs, move along, move along. Stop blocking the traffic.

75 comments:

Anonymous
said...

As a director who make films that touches on family values and morals - there's one trait that the public never tolerates - hypocrisy.

When those in the cabinet screws up, they don't think they owe any apology or responsibility to the citizens who voted them in, and why should a golfer or film making entrepreneur be with his own personal affairs?

Public apology is going to do more harm for public image and personal life. Saying sorry to everyone is akin to say: "sorry I am not what I seem to you, if I have misled you into thinking that, please forgive me, I am just human like you." - Come on, everyone is two faced given any circumstances. You, me, they - we are just as fake publicly as to privately.

Public apology is meaningless, it's like asking for forgiveness from total strangers, will you hear them say "it's alight I forgive you lets move on"? No. Saying sorry to the public is going to invite more scrutiny, reporters will leech on unstoppably with questions for public consumption, and bottom line - their readership.

Sadly, people find amusement knowing someone screws up somewhere, just so they feel lucky to say: I am better off myself.

Yippie, no more crap movies from him, I hope. Those shit that we get, usually around CNY, just to rip off angpow money from kids who's got no where else to spend it. The poor old man performing at Raffles Pl deserves the Cultural Medallion more than Jack Neo.

Well, he doesn't have to apologise to the public, but then there's nothing stopping us from talking/criticising/gossiping about his infidelity. Perhaps, through a public apology, he hopes to appease the outrage people feel to get us to forgive, and hopefully eventually forget about this issue.

wow, its been a while since you blogged... and this is the topics. lol.

Fully concur with your point of why is the other woman (11 others at this point in time) not apologising? though to be fair, they are not 'public' figures of sufficient renown... and this is the 'standard' by which I judge if one owns the public anything at all.

He is (was) a model that people are supposed to emulate.. until they found the parts that are frowned on by society. In short, he is specifically apologizing to parents who told that child that Jack Neo was someone you should 'copy'.

I agree with you... People.. did WKS really apologise for the Great Escape? Did MBT apologise for not building enough flats? Did that not cost the Citizens more then Jack's flings? Put things into perspective.Put things into perspective.I may not condon what Jack did but come on, it's his life and we don't need to be appearing all so righteous to condemn him.

Wondering if you wld blog about JN :) What is there to apologise? Extramarital affairs are common. Many believe that it is not only not wrong but the right thing for a rich man to have mistresses (even the wife, she closed one eye). If both man & mistress got tired of each other at the same time, it would have turned out amicably well. Unfortunately the timing was bad: when one was ready, the other was not-feelings were not in sync. Hence the dumped party felt "wronged" by the departing party. Moral of the story: If you woo, you have to know how to discard.

If the reports are right, he sexually harrassed those girls repeatedly with requests to meet in hotel rooms, repeated declarations of love (did he forget he was married?), "free lifts", and all sorts of other paper-thin come-ons. Many of them rejected his advances. I'm not sure why they should be apologising. Apart from this C-grade "movie-maker"'s massively (but really, not that surprisingly) hypocritical indiscretions, the most shameful thing is, none of these girls stepped out until his cover was blown.

Somemore George Yeo came out in MSM to ask people to rally around Jack Neo...what is the minister doing...some more so fast and so efficient...

So it is okay for Jack Neo the pervert [PMB winner, also who GCT & PAP praise to the skies that singaporeans should emulate and look up, potential PAP MP/NMP etc etc] to continue his "career" after doing all these sexual harrassment on a lot of gals and using his position as a "director" to bed these girls now...really?

I think both George Yeo and Jack Neo should look at this and re-think their values...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7I5UaB7mx4&feature=related

Ask yourself really...is this the kind of man you can just forgive and move on...or can you really say to yourself it is alrite as long as my daughter don't go anywhere near him...but remember by setting a precedent by letting "him" go because of George Yeo or PAP support of his merry wrong doings...HOW MANY OTHER SEXUAL PREDATORS will think they also can get away with it because they also have "CONNECTIONS" too...so really forgive and let Jack Neo off is it...really. And damn whatever happens in the future. Can any one of any decency and self respect allow this to move along move along?

I think the comparisons to Tiger Woods are a little inaccurate. From what the papers are reporting, it seems like Jack Neo was engaging in workplace sexual harassment. At the very least, abuse of power. Yeah, Tiger Woods broke a vow but did he break the law?At first, I found that the idea of Jack Neo having an affair, was hilarious. Down goes the ultimate moralist and all that. As the details came out, it just seems so...creepy?

Jack Neo does owe the public an apology. One for forcing all of us to think of him as a sexual person and the second, for being a serious pervert. As far as I'm concerned, Wendy Chong and Foyce both deserve the Public Service Medal. We've all been made aware of his "moves".

he is a model of excellence and therefore, he must also be a model of execution. LOL

aiyah, you should know by now, behind every successful old man is a powerful old lady who alsoprotects women's right to punish her man from straying LOL

the media is the perfect vehicle to to teach straying man a lesson. Jack Neo(a true idiot ) has that wide audience base to make the vilification painful enough to all would be men, women and children who want to attempt such a feat LOL

it's another way of saying, don't fcuk with your wives or gfs or they will make sure the whole singapore will return a fcuk you will remember for life LOL

Jack Neo makes movies like Home Run,he needs to do a home run for now,I Not Stupid,he is very dumb,Being Human,he is human after all,i even read online that he's a fervent church goer @ City Harvest with one of the kiss n tell gal who calls herself Foyce,what kind of a name is that?I saw her picture online,she looks pretty decent to me,no qualms about her being a cheap slut or prostitute,why reveal all this now when all these things have happened donkey years ago?

Only one thing that has happened was,these women have vivid memories of what transpired btw them n Jack,only God knows...tsk,tsk,tsk Jack,he's no longer flying,just falling down hard!OUCH!!

PS : A word from the wise,never trust women with secrets,keep a distance from them,even though how trustworthy or reputable they may be,they can recall minute details,incidents that occurred eons ago...beware

I disagree with you. Jack Neo is National Day Award winner, he is also a Cultural Medallion winner. He has great impact on the general public. He is a public figure. As such he is expected to set an example for the youngsters to follow. He has failed. So he needs to be condemned.We must differentiate between an anonymous person and a well know public personality. Society must demand a higher standard of behaviour from public personality or moral decay will set in.

In Australia Jack Neo will be charged for sexual harassment as well as discrimination.In Singapore, a Senior Minister called on Singaporeans to rally around a rascal. Something not right with society values in Singapore.

Besides George Yeo, here's another MP being bombarded for his support and remarks on Jack Neo - http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sgseen/what_bugs_me/332218/not_right_to_say_that_jack_neo_affair_is_unavoidable.html

Oh, he needs to apologise to me indeed. For trying to waste my time everywhere I looked, to be reading about his joke, for the sorry reason of staging this act, charade to suit his purpose at the expense of my time, and all those who spent time commenting on him. To have fooled so many in so little time. All in the name of his entertainment. For these, he needs to apologise.For making Mr. Wang think that his story is a sorry one, for wasting Mr. Wang's time in writing about him when it is all a joke, Jack needs to apologise, for using up Mr. Wang's time when it could be better spent preparing for the challenge in his upcoming experiential learning course in some exotic land. Jack needs to apologise, for leading so many by the nose. I would say more than 90%, even our very sharp Mr. Wang, that beats even our national score of 66% by a wide margin. And just in case someone will say hindsight is 20/20, please note that this message was typed before the press conference.

Anon March 11, 2010 12:03 AM"Jack Neo is National Day Award winner, he is also a Cultural Medallion winner."

How is any of that relevant? Did he get the Cultural Medallion for his moral values? Nope, he received it for his filmmaking achievements._________

So to u it is ok for public figures and high profile and award winning personalities to go around behaving like gangsters ?There is little doubt that what Jack Neo did is wrong and indefensible. To gloss over this incident and called on the citizens to rally around a person, whose actions and behaviours are treated as criminal violations in first world countries, is a very sad reflection of the state of morality of Singapore.In First World countries, public figures and high profile personalities are held to a higher standard of conducts and behaviours. Looks like in Singapore it is the reverse. If Jack Neo is an unknown lay person then I think the press is wrong to hound him. Since Jack Neo is such a high profile personality and a National Award Winning one at that, the press is right to dig deep into this scandal.George Yeo only disgraced himself by comming to the defence of such a rascal.

The most saddening part of the Jack Neo affair, is not so much him having an affair, it's the revelation of how he abused his position to sexually harrass and pressurise the young ladies.

Some of you might wonder why the other young ladies only came out to talk about the harassment that they suffered now. You know even if they had done so early, NO ONE would have believed them. After all, JN had a good image as a family man, a director who promotes good moral values in his movie. Everyone will just say that these gals are out to be famous/ trying to get publicity. In addition after all that media glare perhaps those gals can't live a normal life in SG anymore..everyone will be pointing fingers at them.

I think if Wendy Chong had not blown the whistle on JN probably they would just have broken up quietly and JN might have continued to preyed on other young ladies.

I hope that JN is truly remorseful and not merely just troubled by the negative press that this had brought about.

As for Wendy Chong, i wish you all the best and hope you find true happiness one day. Please be strong and move on.

As the saga unfolds, it is not just sleaze, it could be sexual harassment in the work-place. It is no longer just kay-poh-ness, it could be much more. JN has to learn from Letterman who stayed to make more jokes on his late-night show.AWARE, (dare I say stand up) and support the women (not a moral issue here) who may or may not have suffered from sexual harassment at the workplace. Show your mettle. After all, there is a lawyer (a professional with relevant knowledge) at the helm now.

The main thing is as a public figure he has projected a family man goody two shoe image. Not only once has he come out to pass comments on family values, or sarcastically make fun of something in his movies and then delivering some righteous message. This is why he should be subjected to such scrutiny compared to someone on the street.

Will the Singapore Police investigate Jack Neo for sexual harassments ?Which police officer will dare to stick his neck out after knowing that George Yeo has openly called for Singaporeans to rally around Jack Neo ?

Big "if".. it is pretty obvious Wendy is the typical slut.. with the gall to go confront the wife' hello.. wtf does she think she is?

then tell the world she loves JN? really for goodness sake, and bring her whole family along.. after being a slut jolly well knowing JN is married? what is she expecting? that JN will leave the family for her? hello.. One cannot imagine she is sexually harassed? more like she has cum on to JN, and now telling the whole wide world how many time she is fu..king JN.. my god, what will she do next... spread her legs like Sharon Stone.

What Jack Neo did is wrong and indefensible under any circumstances. To rationalise his disgusting behaviour by pointing out that it is common amongst successful men,it is his private family business is dangerous. What will the world think of this concept of Asian society. One that condons crime and misbehaviour? One with a lower standard of morality an decency ? Are we disgracing ourselves in the eyes of the world ?

his god, probably responding to prayers by his wife and pastors, was responsible for chastising his double life.this god whipped his ass good in public so that JN will remember this lesson for life, by subjecting his amicable wife to public humiliation and further reduce her into a crying mess, the experience will definitely be etched in his memory for the rest of his life. i suspect, his mojo will probably suffers severe performance degradation. hence, public chastisement did him a favor and speeded his salvation process.and to further ensure his transformation is genuine, i think this god wants a public confession that he is truly sorry and will never use his wealth and power to harm others again.

I would like to point out that while polygamy is historically universal both East and West, monogamy is a Western invention. And the West has never upheld this convention through legalising and utilising, freely, the exit option. There are also further amenments such as "common marriage" etc.

Why is the East being suckers to purchase the romantic invention without updating or providing allowance as improved by the very West which invented it?!

"If any apologies are to be made, they should be made behind closed doors, and they should be privately exchanged between Jack, his family members and his Other Women."

Huh? The Other Woman? Did I read wrongly? Why should he apologise to the other woman? The Other Woman is as much at fault as he is. Both of them should be apologising to his wife! They need not apologise to each other!

I challenged those in the pap to push for the party to change the law to legalise polygamy.If Lee Kuan Yew thinks that he had made a mistake by legislating polygamy as illegal, he can easily change the law.

HA HA HA! I so agree with you Mr Wang. This is the private pain of the Neo family. The public needs to learn to mind their own business! My favourite part in your post:...... about not blocking traffic. BTW, I'm now in private practice.

I agree with Mr Wang totally. It is none of our business. So move along guys. He's just one of those unlucky ones who got caught. For those of you doing it, treat it as a point to be taken so that you will not get caught. If you are a celebrity, chances are you will end up like him, if not you just have to ask your wife/partner for forgiveness.

I think this is basic economics of demand/supply or ppl would normally say "It takes 2 hands to clap". Don't u all agree. Greed leads to lust and lust leads to greed. If ur boss use his/her authority at you, you have the right to choose. If you choose to tolerate at his advance, then you have to accept it and not blame him. End of the day, whether it is u taking advantage of him or him taking advantage of you, no one knows. Newton's 3rd Law - For every action, there is an opposite reaction.

For u ppl out there, in this millenium era, all wives would stand by his man for all the wrongdoings esp. infidelity although it's against her will esp. when their man is the sole breadwinner, a politician or rich. This is the wisest move to protect his man's rice bowl. For them (wives), money is everything. They are pinning their hopes on their children more their man after all these mess.

Jack is a celebrity, and earns through his popularity. We pay to see his movies. So, he deserves to be criticise and are responsible to his audience, the public. Unless he's just a friend/neighbour, criticise can be made closed door and they don't owe us an apology.

And we, the community have to be more kay poh in order to educate our kids. It is always better to be kaypoh than to just shut the door and close our ears, the reason for crime rates climbing.

Thought I wld never live to see the day when I wld agree with one of your posts so wholly as I do this one.

Really, a film-maker, even an award winning one, isn't a moral icon. We shouldn't mistake what he directs with what he is. Otherwise, we would confuse confuse all directors of serial killer movies as serial killers.

All best for your European course... not anywhere near Fontainbleu by any chance?

hi Mr Wang, i personally feel, as a famous public figure, many people especially young kids take them as a role model.

For example, Michael Jackson.

Imagine if one day michael jackson goes around robbing people (just take for example), it will give the impression to young kids to follow n copy him.Hence, if that happens, michael jackson owes public an apology.

About This Blog

Two Baby Hands

Mr Wang aka Gilbert Koh is an award-winning poet. Read a few of his creative works here, here and here. Get his book at Kinokuniya or Books Actually, or order it online from Ethos Books or Select Books.